More Than Just a Pokemon
by KingWykkyd57
Summary: When his trainer is suddenly taken from him, a shiny Oranguru is left to care for the remaining party members, even if it means battling as their trainer rather than their partner. But as his fame as a pokemon turned trainer begins to rise, and the Pokemon League wishing to use him for their own gain, Oranguru will have to prove to everyone that he's more than just a pokemon.


**I should really be more consistent with what fandoms I write for cause it is honestly all over the place! But this idea has been boiling in my head for well over a year now, and, well...Had to let it out! Hopefully I don't believe this will be a sixty chapter extravaganza like I have planned for my other works... ANYWAY, have fun reading the first chapter, I'll see you again at the end.**

_..._

_"You poor thing...a handsome boy like yourself shouldn't be locked up in this cage."_

_The simian pokemon's head tilted up, its shaggy, purple fur covered back facing the direction the voice had come from. With a grunt, it tiredly swung its hefty frame around to face whoever deicded to engage it in conversation. Unlike others of its kind, its frontal fur had a pale pink hue to it, it was that striking color combination of pink and purple that landed it in this cage to begin with. _

_The young woman who had spoken smiled, her perfectly white teeth contrasting with her chocolate skin tone. "A VERY handsome boy indeed!" she exclaimed, hands reaching up and grasping the bars that made up the pokemon's imprisonment._

_The pokemon snorted and turned away, opting to face the dull, stained wall opposite of the bars. Figures, the human was there to gape and prod, just like the others before her. A waste of his time, and a waste of hers. If she was expecting him to perform cheap tricks for her, she would be sorely disappointed._

_"I've never seen an Oranguru before," the woman dragged on, "I'm afraid I just moved here. I've heard of an island challenge and thought it would be fun to try, I never had the opportunity to go on a journey back home."_

_"-Guru," the pokemon scoffed._

_"It's okay," the woman bounced back, not phased by his obvious disinterest. "Not everyone finds the thought of a journey interesting...but it certainly sounds better than being used as some sideshow attraction, doesn't it?"_

_"Oraaann..." the ape growled, shooting his head back and baring his teeth at the woman._

_"I didn't mean to upset you," the woman clarified, her smile gone and replaced with a firm line. "I just...don't see why something like you is locked in a place like this...Not when there's so much more to explore."_

_The ape's eyes softened and his lips went lax. He grumbled underneath his breath and shifted his body to face her more clearly. He rested his large hands on his knees and locked eyes with her, neither saying a word as time ticked by._

_Finally, the woman beamed and offered her hand out. "My name is Moon," she introduced, "a weird name, I know, but I happen to like it!" _

_The ape stared at her outstretched hand for what seemed like an eternity, until his weary eyes flicked towards her face. She was still smiling brightly, as if she were the sun itself. How long has it been since he has felt the sun on his back, how long has it been since he could stand at his full height and embrace all the feelings of Alola?_

_Hesitantly, his hand reached out towards hers. His fingers slowly wrapped around her dainty hand, his entire palm dwarfing it. He winced, afraid he might crush it by accident. When his large hand finally clasped hers, the woman cheered and happily shook it up and down. _

_The pokemon couldn't help but be swept up by her optimism, and softly chuckled as he allowed his arm to be shook like a rag doll. "Oranguru..."_

'She was the first human I've ever trusted...'

The sun's morning rays penetrated Oranguru's sleep, and with a yawn the ape opened his eyes. Grunting as he heaved his heavy frame off the bed of hay, he stretched his long arms out before reaching for the woven fan by his side. Oranguru then stood up on his feet, rolling his back and sighing in relief with each _POP _that sounded off. He heard the sound of a tractor starting and turned his head, catching sight of the old farmer making his rounds. The two locked eyes and shared a wave, before the farmer jabbed his thumb towards the direction of his little house.

"Food is almost ready if you're hungry!" he announced. "I'll join you after the morning chores!"

Oranguru nodded and searched the ground until he came upon two sacks. One significantly smaller than the other. Oranguru picked both up and looped their ends around his makeshift belt of vine. He could feel the impatience of the larger sack stirring against his thigh, and he patted it gently. 'Patience, friends,' he silently urged them.

Opening the front door and stepping inside the little house, Oranguru was immediately attacked by two rambunctious human children, a boy and a girl. "Mister Monkey man!" they both squealed in joy, grasping at his fur and dragging him towards the kitchen table. An older woman was setting down plates of pancakes when she looked up and chuckled.

"Let the poor dear go, children," she lightly scolded them. The children separated and scurried into their seats, Oranguru taking the seat next to the older woman. Martha, he believed her name was. The farmer's doting wife. She patted his shoulder and shook her head. "I'm terribly sorry about the grandchildren, dearie," she apologized, "they have yet to get their own pokemon yet, seeing a new face like you drives them wild!"

Oranguru chuckled and waved his hand, showing that it was no trouble to him. Martha smiled sweetly and pushed an extra large stack of pancakes his way. "I figured you'd also like to take some with you on the road, for your friends of course," she said with a wink.

"-Guru~" the ape thanked her, taking a pancake in his large hands and stuffing it into his mouth. They all ate in relative silence until the farmer...John, was his name, waltzed in and wiped the sweat from his brow. He inhaled deeply through his names and smacked his lips together in anticipation.

"Hoo-Wee!" he exclaimed, marching over towards the table and settling down in his seat. "After all that work, a fat stack of flapjacks is just what a poor fellow needs!" He turned and blew his wife a kiss. "Thank you very much, darlin'."

As he ate, Farmer John glanced at Oranguru and asked, "So, are you heading out today?"

The psychic ape nodded and swallowed another pancake.

"Where to?"

Oranguru paused, and furrowed his brow. Where to indeed... First, he'd have to catch the ferry back down at Heahea City, and if he wanted to not spend another day out in the open, he'd have to hurry to make it there.

Slowly, he raised his hands and moved them hesitantly. Though his previous "trainer" had taught him common sign language, it had been quite some time since he's had to use it. He feared he might be a little rusty, so he formed his words carefully and methodically.

_Poni Island, _he signed, sighing in relief when he made no mistakes.

"That's quite far away, dearie," Martha commented, "what on earth are you planning on finding there?"

The children glanced at each other, unable to follow the conversation as they could only understand one half.

Oranguru nodded and held his hands up again. _Battle Tree, _he explained. _Friends and I go there. Earn money._

"Tch, all these fancy battle places," Farmer John mumbled through a mouthful of food. "Back in my day, we'd battle wherever we happened to meet!"

Oranguru blinked. _No surprise? _he asked

Farmer John guffawed and shook his head. "Son, I've lived in Alola my whole life! Of course I'd know how smart you Oranguru are! With those balls in your sack it was clear as day!"

Oranguru frowned. _Most people scared._

"Most people are damn stupid too!" Farmer John countered with a chuckle.

"John..." Martha hissed. "Not in front of your grandchildren!"

"Sorry, honey..."

Breakfast passed and Oranguru slipped the smaller sack from his vine belt as he exited the small house, turning back and waving goodbye to the small children who stood behind Martha. He approached them and handed the sack to the old woman, gently closing her hand around it. _Berries, _he explained, _as thanks._

Martha smiled and gently rubbed her free hand over Oranguru's cheek, and the ape relaxed and leaned against it. "You didn't have to, dearie," she said, shaking her head. "But we'll be able to make a delicious pie out of this! Oh, I hope you do visit again soon! It's been a pleasure having you over!"

Oranguru nodded and lumbered away to where Farmer John was waiting for him, next to the man's old beat up truck. Farmer John patted it lovingly and then smiled sheepishly. "I'm afraid you'll have to settle for the back," he said, "you're a bit too big for the front." The psychic powered simian nodded and climbed aboard the back, resting himself in a corner. Farmer John smiled and hopped into the driver's seat, and the ancient vehicle started with a large and loud burst of smoke. Oranguru covered his mouth and nose with his fan as they drove away, finally removing the fan once all the smoke had cleared.

He sighed and allowed himself to relax, closing his eyes as he felt the late morning sun gently caressing his shaggy fur. It felt...so nice. He had missed this feeling dearly when he had been locked away in that cage, forced to do that filthy con's bidding or suffer severe punishment. When Moon had approached him, Oranguru hadn't realized it at the time, but that meeting changed his entire life. His entire world view.

He glanced towards Farmer John, seeing him through the truck's back window. Moon had taught him that not all humans were bad, not all took advantage of their perceived superiority. Oranguru was very much aware of his higher intelligence compared to most pokemon and even some humans, but he himself didn't take many chances to show it off. His sign language was good enough for him. During their early days together, he had immediately noticed Moon's lack of experience as a trainer, and it resulted in either A) Him ending up with far more bruises than he'd prefer, or B) Him taking control and following his own intuition to win the battle. Whether Moon ever noticed or not, he still wasn't sure, but her happiness and upbeat outlook on life was enough for him to stick through it. It was funny...Oranguru never imagined himself as the kind of pokemon to ever have a trainer. His first "trainer" certainly wasn't much of one, he couldn't even capture the psychic ape with any sort of balls. Oranguru easily deflected them all with telekinesis, but it was his own cockiness that landed him in that trap...

While Moon had no idea what she was doing for most of their beginnings together, having a true partner was...nice, he'd say. It was comforting, knowing he could trust someone after his experiences.

And now he had just the others as his only companions...

"We're here!" Farmer John announced, snapping Oranguru out of his thoughts. The ape looked around, taking in the familiar sights of the city. It certainly had been awhile. Oranguru climbed out of the truck and approached the driver side window, nodding his thanks to the old man. Farmer John smiled, then reached into his pocket. "I don't know how much you got on you, but the ferry's expensive these days, you know," he said as he offered a small bundle of pokedollars. "I don't know how they'll react to a pokemon with cash, but those airheads will go along with anything as long as they make bank! Haw haw!"

Oranguru took the money and slipped it between his vine belt and his squat waist. He smiled at Farmer John and signed a thank you.

Farmer John shook his head. "Aw, shucks, I ain't no good at goodbyes," he admitted with a sad smirk. "Just make sure you visit again, see?"

Oranguru nodded and waved goodbye as Farmer John's truck sputtered away, using his fan to keep the dirty smoke away. 'More snacks for the muks, I suppose,' he chuckled. Patting his sack, the psychic ape lumbered over to the ferry terminal, ignoring the odd stares some of the human gave him. He stopped in front of the receptionist's desk, and waited for the young woman to finish typing on her laptop. When a minute passed and the woman still hadn't looked up, Oranguru cleared his throat to get her attention. The woman looked up and gave a shrill, quick _EEP! _

Oranguru sighed and placed the money on the desk. The woman stared at it blankly as the ape tapped his foot impatiently.

"Oranguru!" he barked, snapping the woman to attention.

"O-Oh, yes...of course...s-sir..?" she stuttered out awkwardly, clearly unsure how she should be handling this situation.

'I'm as much of a customer as anyone else, ma'am,' Oranguru thought.

"W-Where will you be heading, sir?" she asked him.

Oranguru began to sign his answer, but stopped as the woman adopted a look of utter confusion. He sighed...of course, not every human was going to know sign. Glancing behind the woman, he noticed a map of the region tacked to the wall. He pointed past her at Poni Island, and the woman followed his finger and studied the map carefully."...Melemele?" she guessed.

Oranguru's eye twitched as he fought off the urge to face palm. He gestured left with his finger and the woman finally nodded. "P-Poni?" she guessed again.

"-Guru," he confirmed with a nod.

"Y-Yes, well, let's see..." The woman glanced back at her laptop, then shot the pokemon an awkward smile. "You're in luck! Your ferry will be ready in just under an hour! Please feel free to take a seat."

The hour passed by quickly enough for Oranguru, but the feeling of impatience in his sack continued to thrive and grow more agitated. He gently caressed the sack and closed his eyes. 'Just a little longer, my friends,' he promised.

When he was finally able to board the ferry, Oranguru claimed a corner of the deck for himself. Once he was sure that he really was alone and ignored, he reached into his sack and scooped out five pokeballs. 'It's time to come out now!' he cheered, throwing the balls in the air as they released the pokemon within.

_"Friggin' FINALLY!" _the midnight Lycanroc exclaimed, stretching his back and basking in the sun. _"If I had to spend another minute in that damn ball I was gonna lose my mind! Where's the fight! Where is it?!"_

_"Patience, Lycanroc," _said Oranguru, placing a calming hand on his impulsive friend's shoulder. _"The ferry can't go any faster than it is now, and we'll still have to travel on foot to reach the battle tree."_

_"It's been too long since I've had a good fight, Oranguru," _Lycanroc snarled. _"This battle tree better be worth it!"_

_"It will be," _the Tsareena said curtly, gazing out towards the horizon. She turned back to face the others as he hands rested on her hips. _"We're island challenge champions, so they'll have to let us in. And when they do, we'll win and we'll have all the finances we need."_

Lycanroc grinned. _"That sounds more like it!"_

Oranguru suddenly felt a familiar crawling up his body, and a small male salandit rested himself on his shoulder. _"It HAS been awhile since we've had any sweets..." _he muttered. His thin tongue ran across his lips. _"Moon used to make the best of them!"_

_"And that's why you're so chubby," _Tsareena muttered, turning away from the group again. _"All those sweets aren't good for you."_

_"...you're just jealous she babied ME and not you!" _Salandit hissed, narrowing his eyes and burying his snout into Oranguru's neck fur. The psychic ape chuckled and gently petted the lizard's head.

He looked around and noticed one member was missing. Frowning, he wondered aloud, _"Where has Primarina gone?"_

_"She's waaaaaaayyy ahead of us already," _three voices from above answered. The team's tallest member, an Alolan Exeggutor, was peering past the rails, all three heads focused on the tiny shape splashing through the water ahead.

_"How does she stand it?" _Lycanroc wondered, shaking his head. _"Water is the worst..."_

_"Enough of that!" _Salandit exclaimed. _"I knew I smelled pancakes this morning! Let's eat, Oranguru!"_

Oranguru nodded and reached for his vine belt, then froze. His hand groped the air and his face fell.

He had forgotten all about Martha's pancakes...

...

After a very long apology and an entire boat ride of dirty glares, Oranguru earned the team's forgiveness by spending the last of Farmer John's money on food once they had reached the Seafolk Village. After a good meal, he recalled them one by one back into their pokeballs to save them the long walk to the battle tree. He was about to recall Primarina when she rested her arm on his hand.

_"Is something the matter?" _he asked her. _"I doubt you want to walk, it's going to be pretty dry."_

_"It's not that..." _the sea lioness sighed, shaking her head. _"It's just...are you okay?"_

Oranguru blinked. _"Why wouldn't I be?"_

_"It's just...you were dreaming again." _Primarina said, looking down. _"About Moon."_

A heavy feeling dropped in Oranguru's stomach, and he nodded. _"I was remembering how she and I met," _he confirmed.

Primarina moved closer and wrapped her arms around the ape's shoulders. _"I know it's hard..." _she murmured. _"You know we miss her too... And I know this whole situation is strange, and that we're all still getting used to it, but we ARE thankful for what you're doing right now. We know it's a lot, but it means so much that you're putting in the effort."_

Oranguru sighed. _"I just hope the battle tree provides us with what we need..." _he admitted. _"Psychic intelligence only gets one so far, we need the money to support ourselves."_

_"None of us want to be wild pokemon again..." _Primarina said. _"I never even got to be one, I was bred to be given out." _She blinked and then shook her head. _"But enough about that... We should get moving." _She gently pressed her nose against the ape's cheeks, keeping it there for a few seconds before pulling away. She gave him a comforting smile. _"Don't hesitate to take a break if you need it," _she told him as a gentle reminder, _"these guys can live in their pokeballs a little longer."_

Oranguru nodded and wordlessly recalled Primarina into her pokeball, tossing it back into the sack alongside his other companions. Looping it around his vine belt, he stepped out of the village and into the wild lands, breathing in the fresh, natural air. 'It's going to be a long journey...' he thought as he started walking through, making sure to avoid the tall grass. He wasn't much of a battler, honestly he thought of himself as the weakest of Moon's team. He was much more suited as an instructor, in his own opinion.

Moon never seemed to notice, but he didn't particularly mind. Moon was a good human, and a better friend. Even if she wasn't the ideal trainer, Oranguru would've gladly followed her to the ends of the earth.

If only...

_"EHHH?!" Moon gasped, eyes wide. "Y-You want to give ME a starter pokemon?!"_

_The fat old man with the awful shirt laughed wholeheartedly. "Bwaha! Don't look so surprised, Moon," he said, "all young pokemon trainers are to be given a starter pokemon!"_

_Moon gulped and twiddled her thumbs nervously. "But...I already HAVE a starter pokemon," she muttered, pointing towards the Oranguru who stood a few feet behind her._

_The old man peered past her at the ape, and Oranguru shifted uncomfortably, not appreciating the sudden attention. The old man then laughed again and placed his hand on Moon's head. "Then consider this a second pokemon, you'll be starting with quite the advantage!" The old man reached at his belt and fished out three pokeballs. As he released the pokemon inside, Oranguru was almost shocked. They were...so small._

_"The grass type pokemon, Rowlet. The fire type pokemon, Litten. And finally, the water type pokemon, Popplio." the old man listed off. "Which one shall you choose as your partner?"_

_Moon bit her lip and leaned in, carefully studying each one. Oranguru stood at the side, his own eyes judging the small creatures before him. He noticed how two of them shrank back as he stared at them, the bird and the cat. But the third one...Popplio, he remembered, met his eyes. They were very pretty eyes, he noted, and he also noticed Moon staring intensely at the water type. Finally, she pointed at little Popplio and proudly announced, "I choose Popplio!"_

_The old man nodded and placed his hands on his belly. "A good choice," he agreed. "Your optimisms match splendidly! But does Popplio choose you as a partner as well?"_

_"H-Huh?!" Moon blinked, then shrank back. "Will she...not?"_

_"There's only one way to find out," the old man said, motioning for the two to step away. "Let's see if Popplio chooses you as well!"_

_Moon took a deep breath and held it, waiting in anticipation as the popplio stared at them. Popplio had a huge smile on her face, and Oranguru noticed how the little sea lion seemed ready to hop towards them, but then it stopped. He noticed Moon's shoulders slump at this, and he sighed._

"Why are you hesitating?" _he asked her._

_Popplio seemed surprised that the ape had spoken to her. She gulped and responded, _"What if she's a mean trainer?"

"Is that what you're frightened of?" _Oranguru wondered, almost laughing at the thought. He had seen bad trainers, he spent half his life locked inside a cage. Moon may have not been smart, but she was kind, and loving. That had top count for something. _"I believe you have nothing to fear, she is a good person with a caring heart... You'll love her, I'm sure."

_Popplio's head perked up in excitement, and after just another brief moment of hesitation, she rushed over to Moon's feet, barking excitedly as the young woman hoisted her up. _

_"She picked me!" Moon cheered. "She picked me! She actually picked me!"_

_The old man nodded. "Now that your bond has been proven, you three are ready to participate in the island challenge. Professor Kukui will come by later to explain. For now, enjoy yourselves." He left with a nod, and the three were on their own._

_"Oranguru, we have a new friend!" Moon beamed, throwing an arm over her pokemon's shoulders and dragging him into a one sided hug. "Together, the three of us are totally going to RULE Alola! Here's to our new adventure!" She and Popplio cheered loudly, while Oranguru sighed and rolled his eyes._

_He did smile just a bit, though. Her excitement had a way of rubbing off on him..._

Oranguru blankly stared into his campfire's flames, watching them dance in their little prison, unable to escape past the rocks and burn down the surrounding grass. The psychic ape sighed and laid down on his back, gazing up at the stars.

What if he remained locked up in his cage? What would his life had been like? What would Moon's life had been like?

Would it have had a happier ending? Was it his rescue that started the series of events that lead to that day?

He shook his head and turned over on his side. No, he couldn't think about that now...He had to remain strong...His team, his _family, _they were counting on him to do something he wasn't even sure he had the power or knowledge to do. Being a psychic type could only take you so far...

But he'd still try. For Moon's sake, she had always encouraged him to do his best.

He glanced back up at the sky, noting how beautiful the bright white orb was tonight.

_"Goodnight, Moon..." _he whispered, lulling off to sleep as the embers died within their prison.

...

**Couple things. First, this doesn't follow the plot of Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon. The Moon in this story went on a completely normal island challenge with no crazy ultra beast stuff. Second, her age is kinda up in the air but it's probably somewhere in the mid teens. Three, obviously when pokemon speak to each other it's in italics. Unless it's a flashback, in which case it'll be in normal text. With that being said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to more! Don't forget to review! And remember, stay wykkyd!**


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